TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Ice pellets were reported on Yushan, Taiwan's highest peak, and snow is forecast on Thursday (Dec. 21) in the mountains of northern and central Taiwan.

Due to increased atmospheric moisture, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) issued a heavy rain advisory for Keelung City, Taipei City, New Taipei City, and Yilan County. Heavy rain was reported in mountainous areas of Taipei on Thursday and there is a chance of further local heavy rain on the north coast of Keelung, and the Yilan region. 

The CWA has also released an orange cold surge advisory for the chance of temperatures dropping below 6 C in Keelung, Taipei, New Taipei, Taoyuan, Hsinchu County, Yilan County, Hualien County, Kinmen County, and Lienchiang County. A yellow alert for temperatures possibly below 10 C has been issued in Hsinchu, Miaoli County, Taichung, Changhua County, Nantou County, Yunlin County, Chiayi, Chiayi County, Tainan, and Taitung County.

Ice pellets seen falling on Yushan on Dec. 21. (CWA image)

The weather bureau said that ice pellets began to fall at the Yushan Weather Station (Yushan North Peak) at 11:20 a.m. Ice pellets are transparent ice particles with a size of less than 5 mm.

During the descent, what had started as snow melts and refreezes into bead-shaped ice pellets or sleet, characterized by a higher density and hardness.

The CWA predicts that over the next few days, there may be ice on mountain roads at elevations over 1,500 meters in the north and over 2,000 meters in the central part of the country.